On the Road with Juicy Joy
It’s here!
What a crazyfun whirlwind week I’m having, driving up the East coast of Florida and back down the West coast, stopping at Barnes & Noble stores, independents, metaphysical stores and Unity churches to talk about Juicy Joy and sign books. I’m loving every second of it.
Right now, at about the mid-way point, I’ve just spent the night with my dad and his wife, Rose, in The Villages. I think my dad was a little nervous about my visit. The Villages Barnes & Noble was one of my stops, and the local paper ran an article about it, complete with a large photo of my super-private, not-at-all-social dad. He’s read Juicy Joy and I know he was pretty anxious about what I was going to say.
He rallied, though. The event was yesterday, and he was right back there in the last row, with quite a few extra copies he’d bought for friends and extended family. That in spite of the fact that he’d be the first to tell you he doesn’t really “get” this whole Juicy Joy business.
Funny thing is, whether he knows it or not, he “gets” Juicy Joy better than a lot of people. He smirks when I say he’s been an inspiration to me, but my dad has always followed the beat of his own drum, never allowing himself to be caged in by any of the external labels he’s accumulated throughout his life journey. At different times he’s been a cowboy, a Manhattan exec, a Buddhist, a Harley biker, and a fun, nature-loving grandpa to my kids. He’s always known when to call it quits and move onto wherever that inner voice is leading him next, and I know I’ve learned a lot from being around that aspect of him.
When I arrived late Wednesday night, I felt overcome with heartfelt gratitude for these two people I love so much. They showed me my room and I must have gushed a bit about how wonderful it felt to be here. “It’s just a futon, darlin’,” my dad said with his characteristic pretend-gruffness.
But it was so much more.
Categories: Juicy Joy